Persuasion
by Sara Nublas
Summary: 'Emily loves this languid, cozy and somehow sensual atmosphere. She has always thought that if something magic has to happen on a night, it should be at this time...' In Las Vegas Derek finds a thoughtful Emily sitting alone in a bar...


**Title: **Persuasion

**Author: **Sara Nublas

**Characters: **Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan

**Rating: **T

**Warning: **fluff & angst

**A/N: **thanks to the word 'Persuasion' for existing, its smooth and sensual sound prodded my fantasy with this story. Thanks also to Nix1978 for the prompt, which I twisted a little bit… LOL!

**Review Please! **

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><p>The melody from the piano is humming at a low discrete level in the bar of a hotel in Las Vegas, and the lights are suffused, creating a dim, cozy atmosphere.<p>

It's that time of the night when the clients have already started leaving, the rhythm is less frantic and the waitresses are more relaxed, knowing their shift is almost over. After glancing around, the pianist decides to improvise some pieces, guided more by his personal taste than by the planned repertoire.

Emily loves this languid, cozy and somehow sensual atmosphere. She has always thought that if something magic has to happen on a night, it should be at this time.

A bunch of Japanese business men leave the bar, bowing obsequiously to all the waitresses; they suppress a giggle as one of them, who had quite a few, loses his balance and almost falls on his face. Their laughs are childish and genuine and Emily, who's sitting alone in a corner, smiles observing the scene.

Probably they don't have much fun in their everyday life she thinks; so busy in devoting each single moment to their job, that they hardly ever enjoy the random moments of happiness. She smiles and immediately sobers up, realizing that actually there's not much difference between their lives and hers.

_Alone at 2 am in a hotel bar in Las Vegas. Sipping Vodka Martini. Fantasizing about a dream man and a happy ending. _She bitterly shakes her head.

As the group of drunk Japanese leaves the bar, she casually glances at the entrance and notices a figure half hidden in the darkness. She can't make out his traits precisely, but some detail she can't quite explain, immediately attract her attention. Maybe it's his bearing, self confident but not pompous; maybe his physicality, athletic and masculine, not too skinny nor chubby; maybe his gentle manners while he stops a grumpy waitress to ask a question and says something in exchange that manages to make her smile; or maybe it's his hands…

Emily is convinced that hands can reveal a lot about a person. Those hands look strong and gentle, caring and not rough, a man with this kind of hands must be…"Morgan?"

Her eyes meet his, after roaming over his body and realizing with a sudden pang of guilt that 'mister-awesome' is her colleague.

"Hey, there," he greets her with a curious frown, "what were you thinking of?"

"Mmmh, nothing. Just enjoying the music," she dodges eye contact and looks at the pianist.

"Yes, he's pretty good." Derek agrees, looking at the man in his sixties, swinging his fingers over the keyboard with his eyes closed and a joyful smile on his face. "Do you mind if I join you?" he then asks Emily.

"Sure," she gestures over the free chair, "what happened to the Casino night?"

"JJ and Hotch decided for an early night, Rossi met a bunch of ladies asking for autographs, and after a while I gave a lift to Reid"

"Oh right, he's taking some days off to visit his mom" she nods, remembering the conversation she had earlier with the younger profiler.

"You should have joined us, we missed you," Morgan adds, feigning his disappointment.

"After the last time I was in Vegas with you guys, I decided that me, you and casinos is a really bad combo…" she looks at him, while he smiles to a waitress who just arrived at the table to hand him his drink. The girl smiles back, indulging on him a few seconds more than necessary and then goes away.

"Ah, come on Prentiss. You've got to have fun sometimes and what better place than Vegas?" he counters.

"You know what? If having fun means waking up feeling like if Marylyn Manson is performing a concert in your head, while you are on a rollercoaster, then… no. I'm out," she responds, still looking at the waitresses in a corner and noticing how insistently are they staring at Morgan, as if she wasn't there, as if she was transparent…She's surprised to find it quite annoying.

"You are leaving some fundamental terms out of the equation, Prentiss. The fun, the booze, the thrill of the game, my company…" he mocks her flirtatiously with one of those smiles. She finally looks back at him and chuckles in response.

"Are you sure it's just about the hangover thing?" he sobers up, just a shade of smile left on his face, his eyes staring at her intently, "Is everything else okay?"

Emily falters for a second, something cracks deep inside her and she inhales deeply, staring again at the pianist. The man is going on performing his solo, unruffled, with a trance-like expression on his face, like if there was nothing else to live for. "Yes, I'm fine. I guess I'm just tired. I wouldn't have been a great company back at the Casino…" she justifies distantly.

Morgan scrutinizes her, unconvinced, and Emily knows she needs to divert his attention away from her; "How do you do that?" she asks curtly, looking again at the waitresses.

Morgan squints, perplexed "How do I do what?"

"The look and smile thing…" she gestures over the group of waitresses staring at him, "you say a word, you smile, and here you go. A bunch of women is ogling at you and ready to jump your bones, as if I wasn't even here! Is that some kind of persuasion technique?" she questions a bit too emphatically.

"Does it bother you?" he asks, amused by her observation.

"No. But I could be your girlfriend as far as they know…" she argues, slightly upset both by the cheeky waitresses and by Derek's nonchalant approach to the situation.

"No, you don't look like my girlfriend" he smiles quietly, relaxed in his seat, his voice getting just a bit deeper.

Emily's eyes widen, while she hides her resent and tries not to show it in her tone, "Oh, I'm sorry," she replies, feigning a mocking tone, "I realize I'm not that young anymore..."

Derek chuckles and shakes his head before taking a sip of his drink; then he moves his chair closer to her. Instinctively Emily jolts a bit, not knowing what's the game here.

"They wouldn't think you are my girlfriend because there is nothing in our body language suggesting that" he explains, leaning closer.

Emily relaxes as she sees his flirtatious smile; she gulps the rest of her cocktail and quickly decides to give him leeway. After all, it's 2 am, the case is closed and they are in Vegas…

"Body language…. You mean looks…" she smiles mischievously, winking and staring, while he can't help being mesmerized by her eyelashes.

"I mean leaning closer, making eye contact, whispering and giggling…" he responds, locking eyes with her, while he rolls the tip of his finger on the rim of his glass.

Emily swallows, because she knows there are some thin lines one shouldn't cross; boundaries that are drawn for a reason.

She falters because there are some days in which her armor cracks, her compartmentalization skills just don't collaborate and the only thing she craves for, is a safe embrace where to find shelter from all her doubts and her worries, from all the horrors.

She falters because today is one of those days.

She knows that if she asked, Morgan would be there for her, ready to soothe her pain and anxiety. He's always been there, he'll always be.

She also knows that he wouldn't hesitate to cross that line to help a friend in pain, but she wonders how things would be afterwards.

Once you take a step in the blurry area, then it's easy to make exceptions and concessions over and over again, every time a little step further; and before you realize it, you're stuck in the mud till your waist.

Morgan freezes when he sees she's not responding to his play, and her gaze is lost, again. "Are you in there?" he asks in a lower tone.

Emily frowns, then smiles tiredly, "Sorry, I guess I'm not the soul of the party tonight…"

"Prentiss, we're in Vegas. If I wanted to have a party I would just have to choose…"

"Instead you came here…" she finally sets her gaze back on him.

"Instead I came here." He reinforces.

Morgan respects Emily more than he can possibly say. She's a great friend, an incredible profiler and he doesn't hesitate a second when it comes to put his life in her hands.

But when it comes to deal with her personal feelings and emotions, he hardly resists the impulse of shaking her until some trust and good sense enters that gracious body.

Why does she have to be so damn stubborn in suffering on her own? Why does she insist in being a martyr, obviously tormented but not letting anybody in? He's always left helpless and upset with these questions.

"Your theory worked," she dodges the subject another time, "your fans haven't stopped looking at you with lush, but now they noticed me, and they hate me" she states with a mixture of regret and amusement in her voice.

Derek sighs, too used in seeing her avoiding direct confrontations in a sorry attempt to compartmentalize, but this time he decides to play along.

"I can see why they don't like you…. I would as well in their place, if I realized I don't stand a chance…"

"They don't?" she asks, now curious.

"They don't. I'm sitting next to a brave, intelligent, funny, beautiful and cunning woman…" he slides an inch closer tilting his head, just a bit, "why should I want to be somewhere else?"

"Wow, here it is the Morgan's Secret Persuasion method! I admit, you know how to talk to a woman…" she concedes with an embarrassed smile.

"Not as much as I would like..."

"What do you mean?" she frowns.

"All these years I've known you, and yet I can't persuade you that you can trust me and talk to me about what bothers you…" he challenges her directly, verbally and with his gaze, curious of how she's going to sneak out of the confrontation this time."

"Morgan, I trust you and you know that… It's just that there are things I don't necessarily want to share…"

"And I respect that. But since I care about you, I can't help worrying when I see you struggling"

Prentiss takes a deep breath before responding, "take your fans down there… they think we are flirting, maybe we met for the first time here, maybe we've been dating for a while. That's the story they are thinking about. They don't imagine any kind of complication might surge…"

Derek furrows, not knowing where she's heading with this.

"It would be easy to live that fantasy. Pretending we are strangers, who cross paths for one time only." She carries on, darting her eyes away from him, "we could tell each other our darkest secrets and find comfort and solace, knowing that tomorrow our confessions and weaknesses will be just a memory in the head of someone miles and miles away."

Derek starts realizing and tenderness overflows in his eyes. Not just because Emily is disclosing something so private and precious to him, but also and especially because it feels like finally finding someone who shares his heart and pain, after he lost hope in that.

"But we are not strangers," she continues in an almost muffled, raucous tone, as if words are forcefully finding their way through her lips, "we work together, day by day. We face the most perverted criminals and you need a steady mind for that. Walking beyond the boundaries we've set would be just dangerous and reckless and.."

"Empowering" he suggests.

"No, on the contrary!" She argues vehemently, finally meeting his eyes again, desperate to convince herself even more that him, "debilitating and humiliating…and"

"Stop. Emily, Stop. Please" he motions with a feeble voice "nothing about being human is debilitating or humiliating. And I know perfectly that you feel frustrated every time we have a case that implies rape and abuse of women as strong and independent as you are."

Emily stares at him, feeling almost ashamed, remembering how the recently closed case hit her. She feels as if, while walking in a crowded street, all her clothes suddenly disappeared. And there is Morgan, standing in front of her. There's no contempt or derision on his face. Just support and kindness.

"Do you think I would judge you any less if you allowed yourself to crack a bit and talk to me?" he whispers, taking her hand in his.

"Derek…"

"Maybe some boundaries can't be kept in place, not even by the strongest will. Because honestly I don't think I could ever forget you even if we were strangers. I would spend the rest of my time searching for you in every single face I meet." He confesses, not leaving her eyes for a second, his hand gently holding hers.

Emily is lost for words, and so many contrasting feelings are now whirling into her head.

"If I were that stranger, I would now hold your hand and leave this place" Derek continues, entwining her hand and not finding resistance while he walks her to the exit, his eyes just on Emily for all the time.

"I would tell you how beautiful you are while we walk through the night in a new city," he whispers to her ear while the elevator slowly moves up, level after level.

The door handle easily turns under his hand and he walks her into his room.

She feels so vulnerable and tired now, yet she completely trusts him, as she hasn't with anybody in a long time

"Then I would hold you in my arms until morning comes." He continues, lightly kissing her forehead.

This time, it's Emily taking the initiative and cupping his cheeks. She inhales his scent, god that scent, and she closes her eyes while sealing his lips with a slow and deep kiss.

"We are changing things and there's no easy way back, you know that. Don't you?" she whispers on his lips.

"No, we're not changing things. We're just seeing them for the first time." he corrects her, caressing her hair.

Emily walks him toward the bed and wraps herself in his arms so as to feel his body against hers; silently she finally allows the tears to come while he soothes and gently kisses her.

Slumber soon overcomes both of them; and the morning light finds then entwined the same way the fell asleep the night before.

Derek smiles as Emily opens her eyes and moves closer in his embrace, "You always coax me into taking unexpected turns in Vegas" she mocks him with a mischievous smile.

"It's the Morgan's Secret Persuasion method…" he jokes back, before kissing her lovingly.


End file.
